Reenforcing cinematograph film



Jam 16, 1934. N. PEDERSEN 1,943,989

REENFORCING CINEMATOGRAPH FILM Filed Dea. 25. 1930 v 1,3 sheets-sheet 11| lv il fj ff fdf l N V E N TO R /I//c/5 Ren/5,590

BY /J ATToRNEY5 Jan. 16, 1934. N. PEDERSEN REENFORCING CINEMATOGRAPHFILM Filed Dec. 215 1930 13 Sheets-Sheet 2 NNN QQ. N N

Jan. 16, 1934. N. PEDERSEN 1,943,989

E EENFORC ING C INEMATOGRAPH FILM Filed Dec. 23, 1930 15 Sheecs-Sheml 3INVENTOR Jan. 16, 1934. N PEDERSEN 1,943,989

REENFORCING C INEMATOGRAPH FILM Filed Deo. 25. 1950 15 Sheets-Sheet 4 Iill-Illli .MMM V Jaa N1 .U

INVENTOR /1//6/5 Pda/560 BY /.S ATTORN EY5 Jan. 16, 1934. N PEDERSEN1,943,989

REENFORCING C INEMATOGRAPH FILM Filed Dec, 23. 1930 Y 1,'5i Sheets-Sheet2%0 u wlmi H @MWI lNvENToR /V/c/J Peo/ense Jan. 16., 1934. N, PEDERSEN1,943,989

REENFORC ING C INEMATOGRAPH FILM Filed Dec. 23, 1950 13 SheetS-Sheet 6Jan. 16, 1934. N. PEDERSEN 1,943,989

REENFORCING C INEMATOGRAPH FILI Filed Dec. 23, 1930 13 Sheets-Sheet 7Jan. 16, 1934. N. PEDERSEN REENFORCING CINEMATOGRAPH FILM Filed Dec. 25,1930 15 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR BY /.s ATTORNEYS @2% Wfm/w Jan. 16,1934. N PEDERSEN 1,943,989

REENFORC ING C INEMATOGRAPH FILM Filed Dec. 23, 1930 f 13 Sheets-Sheet 9D55 nun nunu ne u ' U www INVENTOR' /I//e/,S Pea/A560 BY ATTORNEYS wwf MWww/Mw Jan. 16, 1934. Nl PE'DERSEN 1,943,989

REENFORC ING C INEMATOGRAPH FILM Filed Dec. 23, 1930 13 sheets-sheet 1oa+@ iff if y; INVENTOR j /V /e/s Pe dense/2 BY/S ATTORNEYS Jan. 16,1934. N. PEDERSEN REENFORCING CINEMATOGRAPH FILM BY /.S ATTORNEY5 @wM70/m N. PEDERsx-:N 1,943,989

REENFORCING CINEMATOGRAPH FILM Filed Dec. 2s, 195o 1s sheets-sheet 12Jan. 16, 1934.

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N. PEDERSEN 1,943,989 REENFORCING CINEMATOGRAPH FILM v Filed Dec. 23,1930 13,' Sheets-Sheet 13 Jan. 16, 1934.

ww .NNNNNNN BY As ATTORNEYS wmf aww MYI/mw Patented Jan, 16,1934

1,943,989 A. nEENFoRcING CINEMATOGRAPH FILM Niels Pedersen, Marion, Pa.,assigner to Armoured Films Limited, London, England, a corporation ofGreat Britain Application December 23, 1930 Serial No. 504,302

15 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of armoring motion picture lm orsimilar strip and has for an object the provision of improved apparatusfor and process of armoring, and the improved 5 article producedthereby.

Numerous suggestions have been advanced for armoring motion picture filmto make it last longer, it being a matter of grave concern thatunarmored strip is easily torn or mutilated by the sprocket teeth ofpicture projecting apparatus. In spite of the attention given theproblem in the past, armored film has not yet come into general Filmshrinkage is the major evil working also with atmospheric changes. Itsmajor shrinkage, however, occurs during the developing processes.

Thereafter, if the film is kept according to usual practice, in sealedcontainers except for the relatively short periods of exhibition, itwill undergo relatively little additional shrinkage.

The developing processes themselves do not render armoring eithernecessary or desirable.

It, therefore, appears that if the armor is applied subsequent to thedeveloping processes it well may be made the same length as the film atthe time of application with good expectations that no serious bucklingwill occur during the remaining useful life of the filmwhich is usuallyshort but active.

This has apparently not been realized before for the armor has eitherbeen made standard size, which caused the shrunken film to stretch atthe edges and buckle in the center or the iilm has been armored inanticipation of future shrinkage, which caused it to buckle at the timeof assembly.

According to the present invention the armor strips are made tocorrespond as nearly as possible to the actual length of the lm strip atthe time of assembly. In order to accomplish this, means have beenprovided for iirst accurately and quickly determining the actual lengthof the film; and next, means have been provided for applying the armorin the desired manner.

The

in other ways.

In any event, the machine may be quickly adjusted for various methods ofapplication and in each case will indicate accurately what the settingis. v

In order to furnish a better understanding of the nature and objects ofthe invention it will be described in connection with an illustrative'embodiment of apparatus, reference being made during the description tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the entire apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a right end elevation, reference being made to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view;

Fig. 4 is a left end elevation;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a partial vertical section taken approximately on the line 6-6of Fig. '7, showing brake and clutch mechanism of one of the presses;

Fig. 'l is a partial plan View of the same;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the strip feeding or picker mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the same;

Fig. 10 is av horizontal section taken on the line 10--10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 1l is a plan View of the armor punching mechanism taken on the line11-11 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 12 is a Vertical section taken on the line 12-12 of Fig. 11; Y. Y

Fig. 13 is a plan view looking upward on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12;

. Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 12 but showing the parts in adifferent position;

Fig. 15 is a transverse section taken on the line 15-15 of Fig. 12

Fig. 16 is a right end elevation, reference being made to Fig. 11;

Fig. 17 is a vertical section taken on the line 17-17 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 18 is a plan view of the film strip punching mechanism, the viewbeing taken on the line 18-18 of Fig. 19;

Fig. 19 is a vertical section taken on the line 19-19 of Fig. 18;

Fig. 20 is a vertical section taken on the line 20-20 of Fig. 21,showing the assembling mechanisrn;

Fig. 21 is a vertical section taken on the line 21-21 of Fig. 20;

Fig. 22 is a view similar to Fig. 20 but showing the parts in adifferent position;

Fig. 23 is a plan view taken on the line 23-23 of Fig. 20;

Fig. 24 is a diagrammatic View in elevation illustrating the steps inthe operation;

Fig. 25 is a corresponding plan view;

Fig. 26 is a plan View of a measuring gage; and

Fig. 27 is a similar view with the parts in a diITerent position.

First, the shrinkage condition of the roll of lm to be armored isdetermined. In order that the shrinkage may be accurately determined thedistance between a considerable number of sprocket holes, say onehundred as in the present case. is measured. The apparatus shown inFigs. 26 and 27 may conveniently be used for this purpose.

The measuring apparatus comprises a base which may be placed upon abench or other convenient support. A xed pin 21 is secured near onecorner ol' the base to take into one hole of the film. A similar pin 22is secured to a pointer 23 pivoted at one end by a journal pin 24 to thebase. The free end of the pointer moves over a fixed scale 25 whichreads directly in percentage of shrinkage. The scale is calibrated from0".'v to 1.5% shrinkage, this being sufficient to cover the permissibleshrinkage range.

For consistent and comparable results the movable pin 22 must enter thesame numbered hole (the 100th here) each time. Since the range ofmovement of the pin 22 is greater than the distance between adjacentsprocket holes (the scale distance 0f.;v to 162 of course, representingone space in the hundred taken) it might enter either the 101st. 100thor 99th, depending upon the shrinkage condition of the film. Hereinmeans are provided for precluding its entry into any other than the100th hole.

The pin 22 is mounted in a block 26 slidable in an undercut retaininggroove 27 extending to the fixed pin 2l. There are three f more ifdesired) other similar blocks 26 slidable in the groove. The v carrypins 28, 29, like the pins 2l and 22 which fit snugly between the frontand back edges of the sprocket holes of the film. When the pin 21 entersthe zero hole of the strip the pin 28 on the rst block will enter the25th hole. This is the rst hole it can enter. It cannot enter asubsequent one because the shrinkage will not amount to one hole spacein twenty ve holes. Likewise the pin 29 will enter the 50th hole becausethe variation in distance between the twenty fifth and fiftieth holeswill now amount to one space. For the same reason the pin 30 will enterthe 75th hole and the pin 22 will enter the 100th holeand no other.

When all of the pins 21, 28, 29, 30, 22 are in their proper holes theblocks will be substantially in end contact if the maximum shrinkageprovided for by the scale has occurred but will be spaced apart for anyother degree of shrinkage and will be the maximum distance apart if theshrinkage is zero.

Usually the roll of nlm is measured at a number of places to see if theshrinkage is uniform. If it varies but by only a small amount an averagemay be 4struck and the armor strip applied according to this average. Orif the variation is great a record may be made of it and the armor stripapplied in different lengths at different places to correspond.

Knowing the exact shrinkage condition of the lm the armoring machine isset to operate accordingly. The controls are so few and simple that thissetting may be readily effected. These controls will be consideredhereinafter in connection with the mechanisms which they affect.

The arnoring machine as here embodied comprises three main positions oroperation stations. At station #l the metal armor strips A1 and A2 arepunched to form sprocket holes and rivet protuberances 36 therein atpredetermined adjustable distances therealong; at station #2 the filmstrip is punched to form rivet holes 37 therein, the sprocket holes 38having already been punched; and at station #3 the lm and armor stripsare laid together, the rivet protuberances are pierced to form hollowrivets positioned in the rivet holes of the film, the rivet burrs .areturned and the burrs are subsequently flattened upon the film strip.

Supporting frame The mechanisms at all of the stations are run at thesame speed, preferably in synchronism, and are all supported upon thesame table 40. The table is carried upon legs 41 connected at the bottomby longitudinal inverted channel beams 42. Three standards 43 at thethree stations are bolted to the table by cap studs 44.

Driving mechanism A motor M is bolted upon the rear channel beams 42.The shaft 5Qthereof drives speed reduction gearing mounted within a gearcasing 51 bolted upon the front channel beam 42. The drive emerges fromthe gear casing through the protruding 4shaft 52. At one end (the left,Fig. l) the shaft 52 is provided with a small or low speed pulley 53 andat its other end with a large or high speed pulley 54. The pulley 53through a belt 55 drives a low speed clutch pulley 56 rotatably mountedupon the clutch shaft 57. The clutch shaft is rotatably mounted inbearings 58 secured beneath the table. The pulley 54 through a belt 61drives a high speed clutch pulley 62 also rotatably mounted on the shaft57.

Slidably splined on the clutch shaft 57 near the low speed pulley 56 isa clutch operating collar 63. A yoke 64 carried by a clutch lever 65operates in an annular groove on the collar 63. The lever 65 is pivotedat its upper end by a pin 66 to the lower side of the table.

Likewise there is Slidably splined on the clutch shaft 57 near the highspeed pulley 62 a clutch operating collar 67. A yoke 68 carried by aclutch lever 69 operates in an annular groove on the collar 67. Thelever 69 is pivoted at its upper end by a pin 70 to the lower side ofthe table.

The clutch levers 65 and 69 are connected tow gether for simultaneousoperation by a link 73.

The link is pivoted to the levers by pins 74, 75. The levers arenormally urged toward the right by a coil spring 76 to keep the lowspeed clutch engaged but may be moved toward the left to disengage thelow speed clutch and engage the high speed clutch by a clutch shiftpedal 77 and connecting linkage generally designated by the referencenumeral 78. The foot pedal is pivoted at its rear end and when presseddown at its front end for high speed is held down by the end of a bellcrank latch 79. The latch is biased into pedal-engaging position by aspring 80.

The clutch shaft 57 through a pulley 81 fast thereon, a belt 82, and aweighted jack shaft pulley 83 drives a jack shaft 84 rotatable inbearings mounted on one of the pair of strengthening ribs of each of thestandards 43. The shaft 84 drives the mechanism at all of the threestations and thus completely coordinates the several operations.

At each station the shaft 84 is provided with' Clutch-brake mechanismMeans are provided for giving separate control for the several presses,or if desired, collective control independent of the jack shaft 84.Stated in terms of the specific mechanism illustrated, each shaft 88 isfurnished with a clutch 95 and a brake 96 for controlling its rotationindependently of the common drive for all the shafts 88.

The clutches may be any well known typepreferably the dental type-inorder that the parts may be engaged at the same point each time, wherebythe several presses may be kept in step with each other. The particularclutch illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 comprises the gear 87, alreadyreferred to, which is loosely mounted to rotate freely on the shaft 88,the gear being held on the shaft by a collar 99. A flanged sleeve 100 ispinned to the shaft 88 and this supports a cam ring 101 having somecircumferential movement thereon and a brake drum 102 which is pinned tothe shaft with the sleeve 100. An axially movable dental clutch pin 103is normally biased toward a radial slot 104 formed on the hub of thegear 87. The ring 101 is normally urged to turn circumferentially withrespect to the pin 103 to allow the pin to enter the slot 104.

When the lug 105 formed on the cam ring 101 is engaged by a radiallymovable clutch plunger 106 the cam ring is held and its cam surface 107byengagement with the under surface of a head projection 108 formed onthe clutch pin 103 withdraws the pin from the slot 104.

Simultaneously with this clutch disengaging action the split brake bands110 are released from the spreading action of the cam 111 and closeunder the action 'of the spring 112 to grip the brake drum 102 and stopthe movement of the press. The brake bands are mounted upon a pivot pin113 carried by a bracket 114.

In operation, the plunger 106 is pulled out to permit the clutch to beengaged at the same time that the brake is released by the spreadingaction of the cam 111. The plunger is actuated by a bell-crank lever 117and the brake cam is actuated by a cam arm 118.

The bell crank lever 117 of the clutch and the cam arm 118 of the brakeare connected by rods 119, 120 respectively (Fig. 2) to a foot pedal 121pivoted at its rear end upon a pin 122. There are (Fig. l) three ofthese foot pedals, one for each press, permitting any one of the pressesto be operated while the others are idle.

Means are provided for causing all of the presses to be operatedsimultaneously. These means comprise the gang foot pedal 125 operating agang shaft 126 which is provided with arms 127 and stop adjusting bolts128 positioned above each of the individual press pedals 121. When thegang pedal 125 is depressed it depresses all of the pedals 121 togetherto disengage all of the press brakes and to allow all of the pressclutches to be engaged.

A spring biased bell-crank latch 129 engages the pedal 125 whendepressed to hold it down.

Means are provided for quickly stopping the machine. Normally when themachine is operating the high-speed foot pedal 77 is held down by thelatch 79`and the press gang pedal 125 is held down by the latch 129. Thehorizontal arms of the latches 79 and 129 overlap and beneath them thereis positioned a trip finger 132 provided on the trip rod 133. The triprod is guided near its lower end in ahole formed in the front channelbeam 42 and at its upper end is attached to the. handle 134 extending tothe front of the machine for ready access to the machine operator. Whenthe handle is pulled up both latches 79 and 129 are released, throwingthe machine back into low gear. By the same action all presses areunclutched from the driving means and theirbrakes applied to stop themquickly.

The presses in general All of the presses in this much are alike: theyinclude (referring to both Figs. 1 and 5) an eccentric 140 on the pressshaft 88 operating in a bearing 141 adjustably secured to the upper endof an eccentric rod 142. At its lower end the eccentric rod is providedwith a knuckle ball 143 fitting within a spherical socket formedconjointly in the thrust block 144 and the retaining ring 145. The blockand retaining ring connect the eccentric rod to a cross-head 146 whoseslide 147 reciprocates along vertical guides 148 formed on the front ofthe standard 43. The slides are retained by guide plates 149 held by capbolts 150. The slide is tightened and located in the guide by V-shapedgibs (not shown) on either side which are adjusted (Fig. 1) by setscrews 151.

The cross-head on its under side is machined to a plane surface 155parallel to the top surface of the table. Secured beneath the cross-headis ya punch holder 156, thevsame having a plane top surface 157 facingthe lower surface 155 of the cross-head and being removably held theretoby cap bolts 158. The punch holders cooperate With die holders 159,there being a plurality (four here) of guide studs 160 secured to one ofthe holders and corresponding guide apertures 161 formed on the other ofthe holders. The die holder is provided with a plane surface 162 on itslower side which is parallel to the surfaces 155 and 157 and which facesthe top surface of the table. The die holder is clamped to the table bycap bolts 163.

It is thus seen that the punch holder and diel holder are formed as aremovable unit which is quickly connected to and disconnected from thecross-head and table. Also that the punches may be readily ground to aneven length by placing the punch holder upside down upon the finishedsurface of a grinding machine seat and grinding .off the ends of thepunches held thereby along a plane parallel to the surface 157 of theholder.

Strip reels and guides Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the armor strips Al,A2 for reenforcing the two sides of the lm strip are taken from reels166, 167 supported on axles 168 mounted upon a bracket 169 secured tothe right hand end of the table. The reels are braked lightly to checkthe feed-01T of strip by spring friction devices 170. The strips aredirected to the punch at station #1, the strip from reel 166 travellingalong the front and the strip from reel 167 travelling along the back.

From station #l the strips travel to station #3, passing beneath thetable at station #2 through the crossed tubes 171, 172. During thistravel the strips are turned upside down and front for rear for apurpose which will hereinafter be made apparent.

The film strip F is taken from the reel 175 `carried on the shaft 176mounted on thc bracket 5 177 secured to the top of the standard 43 atstation #1. The pay out of strip is retarded by a thong 178 passed overthe shaft, the thong being tensioned by a weight 179. film strip travelsbetween the ends of the spaced press shafts through a fiat tube 180supported on the standard by brackets 181, 182. Thence the film strippasses beneath a roller 183 to the punch at station #2.

In normal operation loops are formed both in the film and armor stripsbetween their punching stations and the assembling station. This inindicated in Fig. 1.

Strip feeding mechanism At each station means are provided for feedingthe strip to the operating mechanism. As shown in Fig. 1 the stripfeeding devices are designated by the numeral 190. Each is located tothe left or outgoing side of its corresponding station and each isdriven by a vertical shaft 191 connected by bevel gears 192, 193 topress shaft 88. The shafts 191 are rotatably mounted at their upper endsin bearings 194 secured to the standards in any approved manner. Neartheir lower ends the shafts 191 are provided with flexible couplings195. Referring to Fig. 4, the lower ends of the shafts 191 below theflexible couplings 195 are rotatably mounted in the bearings 196 andcarry bevel gears 197 driving similar bevel gears 198 fast on picker camshafts 199.

The feeding mechanism is shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. It comprises aframe 202 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the top of the table.The cam shaft 199 carries a cam 203 which operates two cam rollers 204and 205 to give picker pins 206 an orbital movement. That is, as shownin Fig. 8, the pins 206 on each side of the film rise upward when theyare in their rearward position and enter holes of the parallel lines ofsprocket holes in the strip l or strips), then move forward (to theleft) while raised to feed the strip, then drop down and return torearward position while so lowered.

The picker pins 206 are adjustably held by a clamp 207 and screws 208 toa cross bar 209 secured to the outer ends of parallel picker arms 210.The cam roller 204 is carried on a cross shaft 211 secured between thepicker arms. It determines the vertical travel of the picker pins. Thearms 210 are pivoted to the upper end of a cam lever 212 pivoted at itslower end upon a journal 213. The arms 210 are urged downward toward thecam by a spring 214 and the lever 212 is urged to the right toward thecam by a spring 215.

The picker pins enter elongated holes 220 formed in the cover plate 221of the picker frame and corresponding holes 222 formed in a stripretaining plate 223.

Means are provided for adjusting the location of the travel orbit of thepicker pins. The length of the picker pin movement may remain constant,the length being dependent solely upon the contour of the cam 203, butinasmuch as the picker pins are located some twenty-five or thirtysprocket hole spaces from the punches at the sev eral stations and sincethe strips will vary in length between the distant holes within thisspan it is necessary to change the location of the picker pin orbit.This will permit the picker to From the reel the stop the strip inapproximately correct position for the punches, means being thereprovided, as will be hereinafter explained, for obtaining absolute andfilial positioning of the strip prior to punching.

The orbit position adjusting means comprises an eccentric 224 formed onan eccentric shaft 225. The eccentric supports the cam roller 205 andthe shaft 225 is rotatably mounted in bearing plates 226 attached toopposite sides of the cam lever 212. At one side of the lever 212 theshaft 225 bears a worm gear 227 meshing with a worm 228 fast on a thumbscrew 229 rotatably mounted in a bearing 230 secured to the lever 212.

On its front end the eccentric shaft 225 is provided with a scalepointer 233 cooperating with a fixed arcuate scale 234. The scale iscalibrated in percentum of shrinkage so as to read directly inconformity with the other adjusting instrumentalities of the apparatusand with the measured percentage of shrinkage of the film.

The pointer has a slight movement relative to the scale but this is sosmall as to be negligible in the reading. Moreover, the adjustment isnormally made when the machine is stopped and it stops always with thepress shafts and related parts in about the same positions, so therelative movement between scale and pointer may be neglected in thesetting.

Means is provided for preventing backward 105 movement of the strips. Asshown in Fig. 8, this comprises a plunger pawl 235 provided with abevelled foot 236 adapted to enter the sprocket holes of the strip. Thepawl operates in a guide barrel 237 riveted to the plate 223. A spring238 110 presses the pawl downward, being engaged between a shoulder onthe pawl and a hollow nut 239 screwed into the barrel. The head 240 ofthe plunger pawl is provided with a lift lug 242 adapted to rest in acorresponding recess in the nut 239 when the pawl is lowered intooperative position and to ride upon the upper edge of the nut when thepawl is raised into inoperative position. There are two pawls, one foreither series of sprocket holes.

The position of the pawls is adjusted by a thumb screw 245 rotatable ina fixed bearing 246, which is threaded into a split clamp nut 247secured to the slide plate 223 upon which the pawls are mounted. Theposition of the pawls is made to correspond to the adjusted positions ofthe picker operating mechanism, a scale and indicator being provided ifdesired so the setting may be accurately made when the other settingsfor the machine are made.

Armor strip preparation at station #1 In Figs. 11 to 17 inclusive thepress operated mechanism at station #1 is shown. At this station thearmor strips (usually of copper) for the two side edges of the filmstrip are punched to form'sprocket holes and rivet-formingprotuberances. Since the sprocket holes of the armor strip are to bear acertain relationship to the sprocket holes of the lm strip, means areprovided at this station for adjusting the spacing at which the holesare punched. Also since the armor strip initially has no sprocket holesor other elements by which it may be fed, special means are provided atthis station for feeding the strip until a sufficient length has beenperforated to allow it to begin feeding in the usual way.

The tools employed at this station comprise a pair of positioning pins250, apair of sprocket hole punches 251 and two pairs (or more if re'-150 quired, depending on the number of rivets per sprocket spacedesired) of rivet protuberance punches 252. Die blocks 253 are providedwith corresponding holes 254, 255, 256 for the positioning pins,sprocket hole punches and rivet forming punches respectively.

'I'he positioning pins (Fig. 14) are mounted in a block 257 secured by'screws 258 to an adjusting' slide block 259. The holes 254 into whichthe positioning pins enter are made oversize to permit of longitudinal(in the length of the strips) adjustment of the positioning pins. Thepositioning pins are considerably longer than the punches so as tolocate the strips properly and allow time for them to be clamped inposition before the punches function.

The sprocket hole punches 251 have a tight frictional fit in bores 262formed in an anchor block 263. Screws 264 retain the block 263 beneaththe punch holder 156. An adjusting screw 265 and a locking screw 266hold the punches 251 against backward movement. After adjustment thepunches may be ground off at their ends along a common plane in themanner heretofore described.

The rivet punches 252 are mounted in a block 267 secured by screws 268to the anchor block 263.

The die holder 159 is surmounted by a die block rest 270 secured theretoby cap screws 271. Upon the top at either side of the rest 270 there issecured one of the die blocks 253, the blocks being retained by capscrews 272. Accurate positioning of the die blocks upon the rest issecured by dowel pins 273 entered into matched holes in the block andrest. The hole 256 in the die block guides a backing pin 274 pressedupward by a spring 275 disposed in a counterbore of the hole 256 intocooperating relation with the rivet punch 252. The pin 274 is madeconcave on its upper end to receive the convex end of the punch to formthe concavo-convex protuberances on the armor strip. The backing pin isprovided with a head preventing its being moved too far upward.

After the protuberances have been formed on the armor strip they must beaccommodated so they will not interfere with the further movement of thestrips. To this end each die block is provided with a-recess 276 locatedone space removed from the rivet punch for receiving the protuberance.Beyond the hole 254 for the positioning pin 250 each die block isprovided with a groove to receive the protuberances.

Means are provided for holding the armor strips securely in properposition for the punching' operation. The strips are guided laterallyand retained close to the upper surface of the die block by armor guideplates 280 secured to the die blocks by holding screwsI 281. The screwsfit in oversized holes formed in the plates to permit lateraladjustment, this adjustment being accomplished by set screws 282. Asshown in Fig. 15 the plates 280 are provided with longitudinal guidegrooves 283 taking the` armor strips. In

l- Figs. 11, 15 and 17 the armor strips Al and A2 are shown in positionin the guide grooves.

At the center the guide plates are cut out to expose the strips fromabove, the guide grooves 283, however, being continued though widenedout by the connecting straps of metal 284, 285. Fitting into the opencentral part of the guide plates (Figs. 12, 17) is a clamp plate 286mounted on guide studs 287 pressed downwardly by springs 288 at theirupper ends. Shortly after the positioning pins 250 enter the sprocketholes in the armor strips the clamp plate 286 is brought down upon thestrips to hold them in place while the-punches 251, 252 operate on them.As the punches withdraw the clamp plate continues to hold down thestrips for a time to cause the punches to be withdrawn from the strips.Thereafter the clamp plate is also withdrawn.

The clamp plate is provided with apertures accommodating the punches andpositioning pins, the latter being made oversize to permit adjustment ofthe pins.

Means are provided for adjusting the length of the spaces at which thepunchings are made in the armor strips. It will be recalled that thestrips are drawn forward by the picker. This pulls the strips to withina slight distance of the position they should occupy for punching. Thefinal delicate adjustment of position is secured by the positioning pinsworking against the edges of the sprocket holes which have just beenpunched. The spacing, therefore, may be varied by varying the distancebetween the positioning fingers and the sprocket hole punches. The spacebetween the sprocket hole punches and the rivet protuberance punches isnot varied, which means that the protuberance will always be a fixeddistance behind the rear edge of the preceding sprocket hole but will bea varying distance yin front of the leading edge of the next succeedingsprocket hole. This will be found to be of importance for simplifyingthe mechanism at the film punching position, station #2.

The adjustment of the positioning pins is effected by adjusting theslide block 259 to which they are secured. As shown in Fig. 15 the slideblock 259 is mounted in guides 291 secured by cap screws 292 beneath thepunch holder 156. A gib 293 and set screws 294 serve to tighten theblock in its guides in any adjusted position.

The block 259 is constantly urged to the right (Fig. 13) by coil springs295 acting against the bottoms of sockets formed in the end of the blockand an abutment 296 secured by cap screws 297 to the outer end of thepunch holder 156. The block 259 is urged to the left by a conicalsurface 298 of an adjusting screw 299 acting against the end of aprojection 300 formed on the end of the block 259. The adjusting screwis threaded into the anchor block 263 and at its outer end is providedwith a thumb turn 301 and a scale 302. The scale is calibrated inpercentage of sprocket space length the same as the measuring gage andthe strip feeding devices so that the turn of the screw by one space onits scale will accurately space the positioning pins by one space as thefilm strip is measured'by the gage.,

Strip starting mechanism Until enough of the armor strips has beenpunched to extend to the strip feeding mechanism at station #l it isnecessary to feed the strip by other means. One embodiment of means foreffecting this yis shown inFigures 11, 12, 14, 16 and 17. As shown inFig. 12, a lower strip moving roll 305 is mounted on arms 306 pivotedupon a journal 307. The journal is mounted upon brackets 308 secured bycap screws 309 to the die holder 159. Upon the same journal are pivotedarms 310 carrying -upper rolls 311 at their free ends, the rolls beingrotatable on headed studs The shaft 313 (Fig. 11) of the lower rollextends toward the front of the machine where a hand knob 314 isprovided for turning the roll and feeding the strips whenv the upperrolls are pressed thereagainst. A detent collar 315 secured on the shaft313 has a series of sockets formed on one face thereof cooperating witha spring pressed ball detent 317 carried in one of the arms 306. Theturning of the collar by the distance of one socket space feeds thestrips one sprocket space.

As shown in Fig. 14 the upper rolls are constantly urged down againstthe lower roll by springs 318. The lower roll likewise is urgeddownwardly by coil springs 319. The downward movement of the lower rollis limited by a stud 320 against which the arm 306 stops. The stop stud320 may be adjusted as to height and when so adjusted may be so held bya lock nut 321.

Means are provided for releasing the strips from the rolls while thestrips are being operated upon. This is desirable to avoid tearing thestrips which are relatively weak as compared to the strength of themachine. The means here shown comprise cams 325 secured to a cam shaft326 mounted in bearings in the lower arms 306. When the shaft 326 isrotated either by the hand turn 327 at its front end or by the strikerarm 328 at its rear end it cams the `upper rolls upward clear of thelower roll. In this position the parts may be lockednot being neededexcept at the start of operations-by a latch 329 engaging a. notch 330in the hub of the arm 328. The latch is normally held clear of the notchby a spring or other convenient rneans but when engaged with the notchis retained therein until disengaged by hand. The striker arm isoperated to separate the rolls upon each downward movement of the pressby a striker stud 331 threaded into the punch retainer 156. The stud maybe held in various adjusted positions by a lock nut 332.

Backlash take-up The punching operation at station #l is a delicate one.The downward movement of the rivet protuberance punch must always besubstantially the same or the protuberance will vary in size and height.If this happens the subsequent assembling operations may be unfavorablyaifected. This condition must be maintained even if the eccentricbearing becomes too large, by reason of wear or otherwise, for the presseccentric. The press crosshead and the punches must be positively forceddown by the eccentric acting against the lower side of its bearing. Whenthis is the case the press eccentric rod 142 can be adjusted to causethe punches to descend to exactly the same limit of travel each time.

The way this is accomplished here is by imposing resistance to thedownward movement of the crosshead carrying the punches. The reason forrequiring this is that the resistance offered the punches by the stripsmay be so small that the cross-head might descend by gravity with theupper surface of the eccentric bearing resting on the eccentric. Themeans for accomplishing this, as shown in Fig. 14, comprises backlashplungers 333 rigidly secured at their upper ends in the punch holder 156and at their lower ends being guided in bores 334 formed in the dieholder 159. ,Springs 335 sufliciently strong to support the weight ofthe crosshead and associated parts are disposed below the lower ends ofthe plungers 333. beneath the table.

Film strip preparation at station #2 They are removable from punched forthe sprocket holes. The mechanism for accomplishing this is shown inFigs. 18 and 19. Here the punch holder 156 has secured thereto by dowels340 and cap screws 341 an anchor block 342. To the lower side of thisblock are attached positioning pin blocks 343, cap screws 344 beingemployed for the attachment. The positioning pins 345 are here formedintegral with the blocks 343.

Rivet hole forming punches 347 are secured in V-shaped seats formedpartly in the end of the anchor block and partly in the clamp blocks348. There are three blocks, the center one clamping two punches and theend ones each clamping one punch. 'I'he clamp blocks are held by capbolts 349. After being clamped the punches may all be ground off on theends along a common plane in the manner previously described.

A die rest 352 is secured to the die holder 159 by cap screws 353. A dieanchor black 354 is secured to the die rest by dowels 355 and cap screws356. Die blocks 357 are secured to the die rest 352 by cap bolts 358,the die blocks being set into openings formed in the anchor blocks 35,4.The dies areprovided with holes 359 for the positioning pins and punchholes 360 for the punches.

Film strip retaining plates 363 are secured to the anchor block 354 bycap screws 364.

Here, just as at the armor piercing punches at station #l the punchholes are located at a constant distance from the rear edge of thepreceding sprocket hole. The rivet protuberances and rivet holes willtherefore match accurately when the strips are assembled at station #3.l

Assembling mechanismv at station #3 At this station the armor strips andlm strip are placed face to face with thewprotuberances of the armorstrips entered in the corresponding holes of the lm strip and with thesprocket holes coinciding. The rivet protuberances are pierced to form atubular rivet, the wall o f which protrudes through the illm strip. Then`the rivet is turned; and nally it is presseditlat. This mechanism isshown in Figs. 20 to 23 inclusive.

As mentioned above the armor stripsQare turned upside down as theyarrive at the assembling stations. There are several reasons for doingthis. One reason is that the lm strip is more accurately held on thearmor strips when its rivet holes overlie the rivet protuberances thanwould be possible if the rivet holes were disposed below theprotuberances; another reason is that the burrs of the pierced rivetswill not .drag on the guide surfaces when turned upward, but ratherl asmooth strip surface rests upon the guide surfaces; and another reasonis that most of the operating tools are actuated from above rather thanfrom below when the protuberances are turned upward, a matter ofconsiderable moment from the operating standpoint.

Since the armor strips are turned upside down they must be changed fromfront to back and vice versa because they were punched at station #l byreference to a longitudinal center line-or perhaps it would be moreaccurate to say. by reference to the side edges of the lm strip withwhich their side edges are to correspond-in order that they willaccurately t the lm strip.

Coming now to a consideration of the exemplary mechanism shown atstation #3, the punch holder 156 has secured therebeneath by cap bolts367, a punch anchor block 368. Secured beneath the anchor block is apunch block 369, cap screws 370 being employed to effect the attachment.

The punch block 369 supports the positioning pins 371 and rivet turningpunches 372.

An upper strip holding plate 375 is rigidly held on the lower ends ofstuds 376` the heads of which are mounted for limited movement in guidebores 377 in anchor block 368 behind the punch block 369. Springs 378tend constantly to force the plate 375 away from the punch block.

Also secured to the anchor block 368 by dowel pins 379 and cap screws380 is a rivet iiattening punch 381. This punch cooperates with a rivetattening anvil 384 secured by dowels 385 and cap screws 386 to the dierest 387.

The die rest 387 is secured by cap screws 388 to the die holder 159. Alower punch block 389 is secured to the die rest by cap screws 390. Therivet piercing punches 391 are secured in the block 389. Recesses 392are formed in the upper surface of the block 389 to receive the ends ofthe positioning pins 371.

A strip guide plate 395 is rigidly secured to the ends of the studs 396.The heads of the studs areslidable in bores 397 formed in the die rest.387 behind the lower punch block 389. Springs 398 constantly tend toforce the plate 395 upward.

The guide plate is provided with die holes 399 cooperating with therivet turning punches 372 while the strip holding plate 375 is providedwith die holes 400 cooperating with the piercing punches 391.

Fig. 20 shows the parts retracted. In this position the positioning pins371 and the rivet turning punches 372 are withdrawn back into the plate375, the plate having been forced away from the punch block 369 by thesprings 378. Likewise the strip guide plate 395 has been forced upwardfrom the lower punch block 389 by the springs 398 until the rivetpiercing punches 391 are withdrawn into the plate 395. Referring to Fig.21, the strip holding plate 375 has separated from the guide plate 395sufficiently to allow freedom for forward movement of the strips.However, the separation is not suflicient to allow the strips to get outof the guide plate. Here it is to be noted that the guide plate includesside guide ribs 401 held by cap screws 402.

When the press crosshead is moved down the plates 375, 395 are rstbrought together to clamp the composite strip lightly; then thepositioning pins 371 enter the coincident sprocket holes of the strip topositionvthe same by a slight final movement; after this the plates andstrip are forced downward to cause the rivet piercing punches to piercethe rivet forming protuberances; and at about the same time, the rivetturning punches 372 and the rivet attening punches 381 are brought intooperation to perform their respective actions on rivets which havealready been moved forward.

Backlash at station #3 is taken up by mecha- 'nism like that used atstation #1. Plungers 404 `are at their upper ends driven into the punchholder 156 and are guided at their lower ends inI bores 405 of the dieholder 159. Springs 406 acting against the lower ends of the plungerssupport the weight of the crosshead and related parts. The reason fortaking up the backlash on the downward stroke is similar to thatprevailing for station #l-the press parts must be stopped accurately onthe down stroke on account of the delicate work being done by the rivetturning punches and rivet attening punches. Backlash takeup is notneeded at station #2 for there a f simple through punching only isperformed.

erence t; Figs. 24 and 25.

Operation The operation may be readily followed by ref- At station #lthe armor strips A1 and A2 are i after initial opera.- tions to punchsprocket holes in lengths long .enough to reach the feeding device whichthenv pulls them forward in successive increments of approximatelysprocket hole lengths) accurately located by the positioning pins 250.These pins, it will be recalled, are mounted on a slide 257 which may beaccurately set fo f different hole spacings to correspond to the actualspacings of the film strip upon which the armor strips are to besecured. The positioning pins act .on the transverse edges of thesprocket holes. The strips are next clamped down securely in position bythe clamp plates 286, after which the sprocket hole punches 251 andrivet protuberance punches 252 do their work. When the strips moveforward the protuberances first fall lin the recesses 276 and after thenext move pass along the groove provided for them. The positioning pin250 by being placed after the punch 251 always has sprocket holes to actupon. Also the protuberances 36 formed by the punches 252 are iallwaysat the same distance behind the sprocket oles.

At station #2 the lm strip F passes under the plate 363, is positionedby the pins 345 and is punched by punches 347 to form rivet holes. Thesprocket holes upon which the positioning pins act are of course,already formed in the film strip. l'Ihe rivet hole punches 347 are thesame distance from the positioning pins 345 as the punches 252 arebehind the punches 251 at station #1. This insures that the rivet holeswill always coincide with the rivet protuberances when the strips areassembled at station #3.

Between stations #1 and #3 the armor strips A1 and A2 pass beneathstation #2, being turned upside down and front for rear as they proceed.

Finally at station #3 the film strip is laid upon the armor strips withthe rivet protuberances entering the rivet holes of the lm strip. Thepositioning pins 371 accurately place the strips. The upper plate 375clamps the strips to the lower plate 395, after which both platesdescend to impale the strips upon the piercing punches 391 whichpuncture the rivet protuberances so that the hollow rivet walls formedthereby extend through the rivet holes in the film strip.

Upon further downward movement the punches 372 turn the burrs of therivets and the bradding punches 381 atten the turned rivet ends downupon or into the lm strip.

The objects and advantages are thus seen to have been supplied by theapparatus devised. The adjustments and settings may be quickly andconveniently made and when made indicate accurately in what relationshipthe strips are being assembled. By this apparatus the armor and lrnstrips are properly and securely fastened!

